In sausage production processes the products are produced e.g. as a continuous sausage chain (individual sausages in series which are interconnected at the respective twist-off points), the sausage chains being transferred to a suspension apparatus after having been stuffed and twisted off. There, they are taken up in the form of loops by suspension hooks (cf. e.g. FIG. 8c). It is, however, also possible to form a loop on the individual sausage portions by means of a loop former, the formed loop being then used for suspending one or a plurality of sausages from suspension hooks of a suspender (FIG. 8a). Finally, also two or more sausages may be suspended from a hook at a point of division between two portions (FIG. 8b). The suspension hooks are mounted on the suspension apparatus such that they circulate thereon, as can especially be seen from FIGS. 9 and 10. The distances between the suspension hooks are mechanically adjustable, either stepwise (e.g. in a 5 mm raster) or continuously, and can thus be adapted to different requirements such as diameter of the sausages, number of sausages per smoke bar etc. The sausages are conveyed with the suspension hooks into one or a plurality of removal areas, the sausages being then removed e.g. by means of a smoke bar.
There are different variants of charging the suspension apparatus with hooks. The length of the sausage casing used may e.g. be adapted such that the sausage chain produced fits precisely onto a smoke bar. In these cases it will also make sense to charge the suspension apparatus in groups, one group comprising the number of hooks corresponding approximately to one smoke bar length, e.g. 4 groups comprising each 20 hooks. FIG. 9a and b show, in a simplified representation, 4 groups comprising each 10 hooks.
If sausage casings are used whose length is not adapted to the smoke bar length, the suspension apparatus will normally be charged with hooks over its whole length. This kind of charging is primarily used in the processing of natural sausage casings. The suspension apparatus is here fully charged and all hooks are normally spaced apart at identical distances, as is especially also shown in FIG. 10.
Prior to removing the sausage loops, the operator will have to cut the strand at the right point and he may also have to close the ends (by knotting, fastening with clips, welding). It may be difficult to rapidly find the right point for such closing. This also applies to the predetermined distance between the hooks. In the production process, one hook may, as a supporting measure, travel beyond the transfer position, i.e. it may not have attached thereto a sausage, so that a gap is created. Alternatively, also hooks having different colors are used for marking the end of the group. Both kinds of supporting measures are, however, disadvantageous in so far as they are not flexible.
When products having a different caliber are stuffed, it may happen that the distances which the individual suspension hooks have relative to one another must be adjusted. To this end, a complicated changeover process is necessary. This means that at least part of the suspension hooks must be removed and placed onto the hook conveying element at the desired distances. The hook conveying element (toothed belt or chain) of the suspension apparatus has a fixed circumference (e.g. 4,000 mm). If e.g. 120 hooks were to be positioned at respective identical distances from one another, the distance would be 33.33 mm. If a distance of 40 mm is required, 20 hooks will have to be removed before the distance can be adjusted. These changeover and setting operations are very time-consuming.
Therefore, all the prior commercially available suspension apparatuses fail to offer the possibility of changing them over rapidly and easily so that other demands can be fulfilled.